Though Nox looked down on these people, Jonah and Vermilion Bird didn't. Just meeting the man's eyes made Jonah bristle. Though the enemy looked human, he felt more like a fearsome beast. The powerful pressure was almost breaking him.Vermilion Bird's sacred beast essence was roaring. It was burning, and her eyes turned feral. Her aura was going on a rampage thanks to the enemy.Jonah said solemnly, "This isn't a human, milord. This guy is probably an avatar." He had a feeling this guy was bad news."Not just an avatar." Nox smiled.Jonah couldn't. "What is that thing, milord?"Nox scanned Vermilion Bird and smiled. "Avatars, to be exact, are called Dao avatars, but that's not what this guy is. He's a human phantom."Jonah gulped. He was a temple lord, and he knew what that meant. All cultivators wanted to reach the truth. That was the ultimate level they dreamed of. That meant they made it in life. For beasts, the standard for reaching the truth was gaining a human form.That w
"He has achieved dragonhood. Even if he is a flood dragon, he is still a true dragon. That's more powerful than any avatar," said Jonah darkly.Nox knew what he was trying to say. He thought Nox's dragon avatar was no match for this flood dragon. "Aphrodite set up a good show. So where's Azure Dragon?" Nox asked. He walked into this trap because Azure Dragon was here.Aphrodite knew that man was the only thing that could lure Nox into her trap. This was the flaw of mortals. They had to have a lure to even set something up."He's here, but you'll have to take me down first if you want to see him," the man said.The assassins, their temple lord, and Sirius stepped forth. On the other hand, Nox only had himself. Jonah and Vermilion Bird combined wouldn't even be a match for Sirius or the Shura Temple's lord.Jonah knew this battle was beyond him, so he backed out of it. Nox was the mainstay. He was just a spectator. If Nox got through this, he would survive. If Nox died, then he wou
Shura Temple's lord was the world's top assassin. He'd been the top assassin for the last two hundred years and had seen all kinds of people. Nox was nothing to him. "Die!" He charged ahead and swung his gigantic scythe at Nox.Nox blocked it with one hand, and a loud bang exploded. The Shura Temple's lord tried to push his scythe down, but Nox's hand stopped the metal completely. Someone gasped. This was just the first clash, and the Shura Temple's lord lost his confidence right away. Nox's strength trumped even his.Since strength couldn't take Nox down, physical strength alone couldn't defeat him. The Shura Temple's lord pulled his scythe back and retreated as fast as he could. Nox laughed. He couldn't believe this guy tried to take him down with pure physical strength. 'He looks down on me!'If a fighter could take down another with nothing but their physical strength, then the gap between them was impossible to bridge. "Seal of Hell, Shura Slash!" The Shura Temple's lord breath
Nox flew ahead, intent on killing the Shura Temple's lord. The temple lord could sense Nox coming. Through his divine sense, he saw the whole sky coming at him. There was nowhere to hide if the skies themselves were falling on him.He roared and activated a Forbidden Art. With his essence, he injected rampaging energy into his black scythe, and the weapon turned into a black shark that shot off toward Nox."Another illusion?" Nox's lips curled. This spell was nothing but a deception technique. It could trick the ignorant cultivators, but to Nox, this was less than child's play. Nox made a hand seal with one hand and cast Tiger Seal. A tiger's roar filled the air and destroyed the black shark.The animal turned back into a scythe, and Nox easily caught it. Right in front of the Shura Temple's lord, Nox snapped it in two, and a wave of energy exploded. The powerful weapon was destroyed. Shards flew everywhere, and the Shura Temple's lord was flabbergasted.The light in his eyes went
Sirius couldn't sit back anymore. "Do not kill anymore, Greenshade! You call yourself Faeast's Sovereign, but you show no respect to life and the world! It is not too late to stop and be enlightened!" He put his hands together and spun his rosary beads. Enlightenment seals appeared, and he tried to pin Nox down with the power of Enlightenment."You talk to me about Enlightenment? How dare you! No one impersonates the Buddha around me! Shatter!"Nox turned back. His spells were top-notch, and he could break any enemy with his strength. The power of his spells made natural energy rumble, and it galloped like a mad stallion, destroying all the Enlightenment runes. What left was inky death energy spilling from Sirius.Anyone could see that Sirius wasn't using anything related to Enlightenment at all.His disguise was broken, and Sirius' face contorted with rage. "How dare you! You disrespect even the Buddha? I will slay you where you stand! This is justice! Ultimate Seal of Enlightenme
Violent energy shot up into the air like geysers. It flew into the clouds and dyed them red. Then, four fearsome Buddhas appeared. "Four-Eyed Vajra, shield me! Tatagatha, break the heavens for me!"Sirius activated his essence, and black Enlightenment energy rained from the heavens, dispeling Nox's Truth Power. Then, a phenomenon exploded in the skies above. Countless Buddhas appeared. One nearly covered the whole sky and blocked out the sun. Tathagata. He felt holy and solemn."That feels evil as heck," Vermilion Bird cursed. They were supposed to be holy beings, yet they radiated ice-cold aura.Jonah gasped. "Shit. I forgot we're on his turf. He's already stronger than the Shura Temple's lord, and he's also the head of many nations' religions. Loads of people think he's an actual Buddha. It's a case of the lie becoming the truth!" They were in trouble.Vermilion Bird had no idea what he was talking about. There was no way a lie could become the truth. Jonah explained, "Of course
Shura Temple's lord gloated, "Never thought this would happen, did you, Greenshade? You were too cocky in Faeast, and you forgot you weren't there anymore! You will die here!"Sirius was excited as well. A monk from the religion of Enlightenment, killing someone that spooked the whole of Mystia. Perhaps history would be rewritten. The world would be in his palm.He got a little smug and said arrogantly, "You cannot stop the gods of Enlightenment, Greenshade. Surrender, and I might spare you!"The gods of Enlightenment shot their bloodlust toward Nox, trying to make him surrender, but Nox didn't even look at them. "Gods? Enlightenment? Nothing but ignorant ants. Just because you're wearing the facade of enlightenment doesn't mean you can make me surrender. You flatter yourself." He sneered."All talk. Why don't you show me what you can do, then!" Sirius cursed. He couldn't believe Nox was still so arrogant at this point."Very well. Watch closely. I'll break this phantom spell of y
Nox sent his will-of-the-sword forth and pierced Sirius' Yin spirit. Shura Temple's lord was flabbergasted. His ally had all the advantage on his side, and yet Nox destroyed him like it was nothing. He realized Nox hadn't even used a fraction of his power during their fight. There was no way to win this.He turned back and ran as fast as his legs could take him. If he could get out of the mountain, he would survive this. The temple lord cursed, "Fuck you, Mousse family! There's no way we can fight a monster like that! You set us up! I'll kill you, I swear!"He had half the mind to think that the Mousse family and Nox had this planned all along to destroy the fates of the southwest nations. That would pave the way to supremacy for Faeast and lead them to rulership in the southwest.Shura Temple's lord wanted revenge on Faeast and the Mousses, but he didn't have the courage to attack Nox. Then, the man he feared most appeared right in front of him."G-G-G-Ghost! This cannot be! You c
'What? Griffin was a sworn brother to Magic Mountain's founder?!'"That's right," confirmed the formation master. "He only told us recently."As the first to learn of this connection, he had shared it with the Saints of the Five Elements, ensuring they wouldn't betray their alliance. Using the promise of ascension as leverage, he managed to secure their cooperation. After all, the Great Saint of Fire had already reached the threshold for ascension.The risks were minimal, and upon ascending to the Transcendent Firmament, the Magic Mountain's founder would surely offer his guidance. For that reason alone, the five mentors had rallied to aid Nox.With such mighty forces gathered, morale on Nox's side soared. Meanwhile, the Whitefield family's spirits plummeted, crashing from the heights of hope to the depths of despair in mere moments. The mental strain caused several of their weaker-willed members to break completely.With dread settling over them, the Whitefields could only place
The Whitefields were getting cocky, but then they realized the powerhouses that came weren't responding. The aura was powerful, but there was no life in it. On closer inspection, they noticed that the leader of the group only had half a body left. His soul was missing. The quartet behind him was nothing but a pile of mincemeat.The portal buzzed again, and seven silhouettes came out. Five of them felt domineering, and they looked prideful. It almost felt like they were peerless. These people were none other than the Saints of the Five Elements.Four of them were Pinnacle Minor Saints. While one had an aura so strong, this place couldn't handle it."A Great Saint! Great Saint of Fire!" Fiery Ignis, Dominic, and Achille couldn't believe their eyes.It had been too long since Mystia saw a Great Saint, and he was Nox's mentor."So, he's the one who broke through first. But now he's already hit his bottleneck. The other four's power isn't enough. If the Sacred Beast Seal isn't upgraded
The Montgomerys and the Byrds decided to see Nox together, but they were refused. They were cursing Nox and calling him disrespectful, but then they saw Nox and his team taking a portal to the path of the ancient divine."What? He went right to them? Why? He's going to fight the Celestial Lord now?" The representatives were shocked.'How dare they!' they thought.Nox and his team went through the portal quickly and appeared right over the Whitefields' place. The Whitefield family was the newest member of the divine four and the real mastermind behind the Inkdarks' demise."Kirin, I told you I'd take you back here someday. I told you that when we come back, the Whitefields will be no more. If you can't do it, I can wipe them out for you." Nox looked at Kirin."Don't look down on me, milord. You don't need to dirty your hands for them. I'll do it!" Kirin summoned his avatar, and with Saint power infused, the avatar turned into a real beast. The sacred beast itself descended upon the
"Time to finish this. My lord's going to the path of the ancient divine next. You should decide who's going to take over after the Celestial Lord is taken down. That's all. Now let's talk about our personal business. Listen up, anyone who had a part in attacking my family, tell your clans that I'm coming for them. I'm killing all of you!"Bloodlust filled the air, and the representatives were shocked. "You killed your own family. Yes, we made them attack you, but we never wanted to wipe it out!" the Whitefields' representative said.Kirin flew into a rage. "How low can you go? You forced them to kill me, or you would wipe us out instead! You think I'm stupid? You'd have killed my family either way! I know how you guys function. You're crueler than any beast out there. Listen up, there's still time to plan for your funeral. You'd better make a good plan."Kirin chased everyone away. The families were going back to prepare for battle, but two remained behind. One was the Byrds' repres
Nox's Magick Sword crushed the enemy leader's soul. "I said I would cut you down, and I did. Now do you see who's the ignorant one?"The enemy leader realized that Nox was the man at the pinnacle. Perhaps the moment Nox became a faux Saint, he was already no match for him. "So what if you can kill me? You are Faeast's Sovereign, and you have a duty to push Faeast to power. But the Celestial Lord still exists. As long as he is around, your wish will never be fulfilled." He sneered."Is that so? Well, he's next on the list to be culled. If anyone tries to make an enemy out of me, I will destroy them and their families, even if they are from the path of the ancient divine!"Nox shattered the remains of the soul, and the path of the martial's leader was no more. The problem harassing Faeast for millennia could be solved at long last. Achille was stunned. It hadn't been that long, but Nox had surpassed him.Nox was better than him in every way. He was an even better swordsman than Achil
The enemy leader was waiting. One technique broken wasn't enough to take Nox out. He wanted to wait until Nox had cast all he knew and find an opening to take him down, but Nox wanted to take him down with the power of the sword."You're stubborn. Very well, this makes things easier for me. I'll kill you, or at the very least, wound you!" He'd be stupid not to take advantage of this. The enemy leader's avatar morphed into a gigantic fist and slammed into Nox's chest.The impact shot through his body and reached his soul. Nox spat blood, and his soul was injured.Achille couldn't stand by anymore. Nox just told him not to push himself, but he wasn't taking his own advice. Then, Nox's weak will-of-the-sword shone blindingly, and then Unto the Origin appeared once more."Even under my pressure, you can use this technique? You're strong, but you're as stubborn as your mentor. You've lost your chance! Die! You'll never get here in time, Achille! Shadowkill!"The enemy leader's avatar t
"He couldn't even kill Nameless, and he only became an Ascendant through the Heavenly Dao's blessing. However, I can already summon the High Heavens' spiritual energy! How will you cut me down now?" With the spiritual energy he summoned, the enemy leader stirred the clouds, and Nox's will-of-the-sword was getting haywire.Nox scoffed. "The Heavenly Dao's blessing? You think he managed that because of a blessing? And you call yourself the leader of the path of the martial. You know nothing.""And why do you say so?" the enemy leader asked solemnly.Nox took a deep breath and stared at the enemy leader. "The heavens gave me glory, and not even I would say I am blessed by the Heavenly Dao. The founder ascended to save Faeast's people. He wanted someone from the High Heavens to kill Nameless. Answer me this: if you don't have enough power, would you challenge the Heavenly Dao for your faction?"Nox challenged, "If you fail an ascension, you will be destroyed, and that includes your sou
"So, your student's here. If he was one moment later, you'd be dead," the black-robed man said, sneering.Achille did not look happy at all. He looked at Nox with chastise in his eyes. Nox was worried about him. If he didn't show up, Achille would die."This is no sparring session, master. This is about the people of the world. If you want to spar with someone, Dominic and Voltaic are your real rivals. If you want to fight them after this, I won't stop you," said Nox.That managed to calm Achille down. He felt ashamed. "Heavens, my mindset was a mess just now. I thought I could face death calmly, but…""Every living being will try their best to survive, you told me that. We only sacrifice ourselves if the outcome is worth it. Now that I'm here, sacrificing yourself is just being stupid," said Nox.Achille sighed, but he was glad that his student could be so understanding about so many things. It was his honor. "Very well, then we shall kill this leader. You're right. This is no sp
Black Tortoise was stunned. 'So, they're serious?'He stared at the enemies and asked coldly, "Is this offer serious? You'd better not be lying to me.""You think we'd lie? We could trample you easily if we wanted to, but your damn lord is on his way back here!" The captains wanted to surrender immediately, or they might actually die.Black Tortoise was a little hesitant. If Nox was on his way back, he'd never give these people a chance to surrender. That could only mean one thing. The battle was inconclusive, but Aphrodite's plan worked. At least the powerhouses were taken down.The ten powerhouses were the path of the martial's true pillars. The enemies were surrendering without any one of them here, however. That could only mean that something had happened to them."Very well, I accept your terms and offer to surrender. But you'll have to tear down your defenses while the sacred beasts set up a formation," said Black Tortoise.The captains hesitated, but the powerhouses urged